I'll Be Back
by i-love-svu
Summary: Julie visits Kirsten in rehab. JuKi friendship, rated T just to be safe. Complete.


**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Summary: Julie visits Kirsten in rehab. Early season three, and I don't think there are any spoilers.**

**Author's Note: I have no idea what rehab for alcoholics, but I tried my best to portray what I thought it might look like.

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Julie immediately remembered why she hated hospitals the second her pink Prada heels hit the cold linoleum. They all smelled like various cleansers and muted vomit. The brunette knew that rehab wasn't exactly a hospital, but it was close enough. She strode to the desk directly in front of her and waited patiently as the nurse talked to someone on the telephone. It didn't take very long before the women in white scrubs replaced the telephone in its cradle and focused her attention on Julie.

"May I help you?" The woman had a very sweet voice and seemed quite pleasant. Whether it was an act or not, Julie couldn't tell.

Tucking one stray wisp of brown hair behind her left ear, Julie smiled. "I'm here to see Kirsten Cohen."

"Follow me please," The nurse stepped out of her tiny station. She still had a smile plastered on her face, as if that was the way she always looked. Julie didn't say anything. She simply followed the woman through the gentle-tan walls and sparkling white floors. An occasional painting was placed on the wall, evidentially to make it feel more like home. Julie suddenly felt very sad, knowing that she was free to leave and so many people were trapped in the rehabilitation center because of their disease.

Stopping quickly, the nurse gestured a door with the number 56 on it. She told Julie to knock, and if there were any problems, to push the red button on the wall. With that, the nurse disappeared, leaving Julie with the feeling that she might not make it out of the slightly creepy place.

Door number fifty-six opened slowly and revealed a very surprised looking Kirsten Cohen. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, she had dark circles under her eyes, and was wearing tight gray sweatpants, all of which wasn't normal for her. Upon closer inspection, Julie saw that they light in the woman's eyes hadn't gone out and couldn't help but grin. She may look a little ragged, but definitely was her best friend.

"Julie!" Kirsten greeted. "I wasn't expecting you. Please, come in and sit down."

The brunette followed Kirsten into the room, doing her best not to frown. It depressed Julie to see that Kirsten was living in a place like Suriak. But she supposed that if it helped Kirsten overcome being an alcoholic, then it was for the best.

"How are you?" Julie inquired. She sat on the edge of the bed next to Kirsten. The flowered comforted wasn't the blonde's style at all and Julie knew that, but she kept quiet.

Kirsten shrugged. Julie took that to mean she wasn't good, but she wasn't bad either.

"Have you talked to the boys lately?" Julie tried to keep the conversation going. She knew that if they stopped talking, one of them would start crying. And the brunette didn't want that to happen.

The blond smiled. "Seth called yesterday." She paused, recalling the call in her mind. "You know, he actually said he can't wait for me to come home. That's a first."

Both women laughed quietly. Julie understood how that was. The kids never wanted their parents around, while the parents always wanted to be there. Marissa had made it clear several times that she wasn't interested in having anything to do with her mother, but something had changed with her daughter this year. Moving her focus from her daughter to Kirsten, Julie smiled.

"I bet you're eager to leave, right?"

Kirsten nodded sadly. "But I'm going to stay until they say I don't need to. I don't want to go home only just to have a relapse and have to come back."

Julie wrapped one arm around her friend. "That's the responsible thing to do."

The women sat in silence for a moment, neither sure what to talk about next. Kirsten composed herself rather quickly and appeared ready to talk about something else.

"Have you heard from Sandy?" Julie gently squeezed Kirsten's arm. The brunette couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for Kirsten to be away from her family. Unlike the Cooper's, the Cohen's were very close. Being apart must have been driving them all crazy but it was for the best and Julie assumed they all had come to terms with that.

The blond nodded and Julie prepared for her friend to begin crying, but the expected tears never came. Instead of crying, Kirsten laughed.

"Sandy called last night way after we're allowed to get phone calls. The nurse must have been in a good mood because she let me talk to him for a while." Kirsten paused, a smile now on her face. "He always makes me laugh. Even with the situation I am in, Sandy always goes out of his way to insure a good joke or two."

Julie grinned. She was happy that despite the ups and downs, Kirsten and Sandy were still together. "That's good. You're lucky you have someone to make you laugh."

Before Kirsten could reply, the too-sweet nurse appeared in the doorway.

"I'm sorry to cut your visit short, but Mrs. Cohen has an appointment with the doctor." The woman clad in white said nothing more and vanished.

Julie stood up and was followed closely by Kirsten. Both women hated goodbyes, but they knew they couldn't prevent this one. Julie gently hugged the blond woman as tears formed in both of their eyes.

"I'm going to come back and see you again," Julie whispered her promise into Kirsten's ear. "You know that, right?"

Kirsten could only nod. Her one true best friend was leaving before they had really gotten to talk. God only knew when another visit would arrive. The two unwillingly separated, with tears glistening on their cheeks.

"I'll see you soon, KiKi." Julie smiled at Kirsten, confident that she would be able to fulfill her promise.

The blond opened the door, matching Julie's smile to the best of her ability. "You can call or email. My email is closely monitored, so don't say anything you don't want the nurses reading."

Julie laughed quietly. "Bye, Kirsten."

"See you later, Julie."

Kirsten closed the door and rested against it. As she tilted her head back, allowing it to hit the thick wood, the blond didn't know a time when she had been so sad to see Julie Cooper departing. On the other side of the door, Julie was fumbling with her car keys as she strode down the hall. The only time Kirsten had ever looked so horrible was after Carter left. Both women, although going different directions, sorted through the clutter in their minds.

Julie, although she had a family to go home to and free to do so at any time, did not want to leave the tiled floor building. She wanted to stay with Kirsten a bit longer, talk to her for a while. And Kirsten, who was trapped inside, desperately wanted go sit on the patio to talk to her best friend. But Julie kept walking until she reached her car, and Kirsten didn't release the breath she had been unconsciously holding until her fingers gripped the cold metal handle of the doctor's office.

With a sigh, Julie started her car and backed out of the parking lot. She couldn't wait for Kirsten to be released so the two could spend more time together. The brunette was eager to spend time with someone who wasn't listening just so they could spread gossip around the small town. One last tear slid down her pale cheek as Julie turned onto Ocean Avenue.

"I'll be back, KiKi," Julie said aloud, as if Kirsten was sitting right next to her. "I promise."


End file.
